Swimming has been part of the Australian consciousness for a long time. In the late 19th century swimming baths were built in capital cities (see
Melbourne City Baths, for example). Rock pools were built along the Sydney coast as job creation schemes during the Great Depression. Modern aquatic centres are built as major competition venues.
And after the Melbourne Olympics in 1956, a golden age of community building resulted in almost every town council and its citizens striving for a community pool, and 50m Olympic pools spread across the suburbs of major cities (I blog regularly about Bexley pool for example, opened in the 1970s).
My mate John travels for work around the towns of the NSW Central West and Riverina, and is partial to a swim. Here's a collection of snaps he's taken of various swimming venues.
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| Albury Swim Centre, February 2011 |
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| Canowindra February 2011 "At midday I was the first swimmer for the day" |
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| Cowra. "28 degree water temp is no good for me. Nice complex though. Toddlers pool is under cover." |
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| Gulgong. May 2011 |
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| Tumbarumba February 2011 "Very clear, delightfully cool water." |
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| Tumut March 2011 |
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| Tumut March 2011 |
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| Wodonga. Feb 2011. This has been closed down - outrageous! |
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| Young February 2011 |
